


An Unusual Anniversary

by magician



Category: The Sentinel (TV)
Genre: Challenge Response, Gen, Seasonal, Secret Santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-30
Updated: 2018-11-30
Packaged: 2019-09-02 17:51:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16791811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magician/pseuds/magician
Summary: Prompt:Repeal Day– due 4th Dec/revealed 5th Dec





	An Unusual Anniversary

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by [ainm](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ainm/pseuds/ainm) in the [2018_TSSS_DrabbleDays](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/2018_TSSS_DrabbleDays) collection. 



> **Prompt:** **Repeal Day** – due 4th Dec/revealed 5th Dec

Blair walked into the Major Crime bullpen, his arms overloaded with case files, forensic reports and a bag from the local deli that contained his lunch. With Jim out of town at a mandatory training update, Blair had been left to continue progress on their open cases. Of course, catching up on their paper work was also a high priority, as Simon had reminded him that morning.  
  
"Hairboy!" Blair looked in the direction of the call. Henri Brown was standing at his desk, giving him a "come here" gesture. H's partner was there, as well as four other people standing with the detectives. Blair responded with a chin wave, then placed what he was carrying on his desk before approaching the group.  
  
"Blair," Henri said, "I'd like you to meet my grandparents, Henry and Ava Brown, and my mom and dad, George and Genevieve. Mom, Pop, Gran, Gramps, this is Blair Sandburg, our newest detective."

Blair shook hands with each in turn. When he got to Ava, she asked sharply, peering at him through her glasses, "Why did Henri call you Hairboy?"  
  
Blair grinned as he ran a hand over his shortened locks. Despite his original protests, he'd cut his hair before attending the Academy and then decided to keep it short. "I used to have longer hair, ma'am," he replied. "H gave me that nickname and I guess it just stuck." She nodded, satisfied with his explanation. "So, are you all out here for vacation, or do you live nearby?"  
  
"Lord, no," Ava spoke again. "Henry and I live in Macon, Georgia. Have done all my life. Raised five children there. But George decided he needed to see the world and joined the Navy. Met his wife and settled in San Diego, California, of all places." She sniffed, although at the idea of joining the Navy, getting married or living in San Diego was unclear. Blair noticed that everyone remained in deferential silence until the matriarch was finished speaking.  
  
"We're having a family gathering to celebrate Gran and Gramps' anniversary." H explained, when it was clear his grandmother wasn't going to answer Blair's question. "We take turns hosting, and everyone's coming to Cascade this year."  
  
"That's wonderful," Blair enthused. "How many years have you been married?"  
  
Henri's grandfather spoke for the first time, "Sixty-five, next week."  
  
"Sixty-six," Ava corrected immediately. Her husband stayed quiet.   
  
Just then, Simon Banks opened his office door and walked over to the group. Henri again went through the introductions. "Well now," Simon said jovially. "I believe you've been promised the grand tour. Shall we get started?"  
  
As they all gathered to go, Ava put her hand against H's chest. "No, you stay here. Captain Banks will escort us and answer any questions we have."  
  
"Aw, Grandma," H protested, "Don't ask Captain Banks about me. It's embarrassing." She just waved him away and Simon led the four Browns out the door.  
  
Blair waited until they left before saying, "So, 'Henri', you're obviously not a 'Junior'. Are you a 'Second'? Or a 'Third'?""  
  
"Neither," H answered. "Gramps spells his name with a 'y'. Pop wanted to name me after his dad, but Mom, being French, didn't. They compromised by using the French spelling."  
  
Blair nodded. "And what about the anniversary thing? Is it sixty-five or sixty-six?"  
  
Henri wiped his hand down his face. "Well, kind of both." At Blair's confused look, he continued. "You see, Gramps was a bootlegger during Prohibition. They loved each other from when they were kids, but Gran refused to accept his marriage proposal until he got into a less dangerous line of work. But, in the thirties, work was hard to find, it being the Depression and all. And harder for a black man to find anything that paid as well as running whiskey up and down the state."  
  
Blair nodded. "It must have been hard on both of them. So…?"  
  
"So, Prohibition was repealed on December 5, 1933. It wasn't illegal anymore to run alcohol and the stills turned legit. Gramps put a down payment on a decent truck and got into the long-haul business. Gran accepted his proposal and they got married one year later, December 5, 1934."  
  
Blair mentally calculated, then brightened. "So, they've been married sixty-five years--"  
  
"But Gran always insists that Repeal Day, the day Gramps got out of the bootlegging business, is their real anniversary. The day they became married in her heart."  
  
"Wow. What a great story. So, how do you celebrate?"  
  
"Oh, the usual. Lots of singing and dancing and tons of food. But Pops also hauled up some homemade whiskey."  
  
"Moonshine? Your grandmother stands for that? She doesn't look like she'd put up with any rule-breaking."  
  
"Yeah, you've got her nailed, all right. The whiskey is homemade, but the guy has a license, so it's all legitimate. He packs it in Mason jars, so it looks like what they used to have when it was illegal. It's a hell of a lot better quality, though - you should taste it." H brightened up. "Hey, you should come to the party. Rafe's coming. Will Jim be back by then?"  
  
"He will be, and we'd love to come. I'll make something to bring along." Blair grinned. "Hey, what goes well with bathtub gin?"

**Author's Note:**

> "Bathtub gin" referred to any cheaply-made alcohol prevalent during Prohibition.  
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathtub_gin


End file.
